Yahoo Maps Reunite Jerusalem

Jerusalem has been reunited without gunfire, 43 years after the Six Day War -- this time, by Yahoo!

Angering the international Jewish community, the Internet search giant recently enacted its own two-state solution by dividing Jerusalem into “East” and “West” on its Weather iPhone app.

But the holy city became one again this weekend, after pressures from the Israeli government and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, according to Rabbi Meyer H. May, executive director of the Center.

“We are gratified that Yahoo! recognized its mistake and moved so quickly to correct its weather site and app,” he said.

In mid-May, the Jerusalem weather information suddenly became blank, deferring to alternatives “West Jerusalem, Yerushalayim” and “East Jerusalem, West Bank.”

“Yahoo! does not have the authority to divide Jerusalem,” said social media expert Dr. Andre Oboler. “Facebook found that moving locations between Israel and Palestine caused a huge user backlash, and in the end they settled to let users choose where they were.”

Calls and emails to Yahoo’s media relations were not returned.